She laughed hysterically like I just made a very funny joke. Mom and I exchanged glances in confusion before looking back at her.
“What the hell is it you want Sophia? Because there’s nothing your sister and I haven’t done for you to help you become a better person. She sacrificed herself, her memory, her peace of mind, just for you! Yes, I agree that I didn’t spend more time with the both of you after your father passed on, but I know all that changed after Livy’s kidnap. I made sure you both never missed out on any basic necessity even though time wasn’t always in my favor. So don’t you dare seat there and act like it was lack of love and care that got you all messed up inside, because it isn’t. I never thought I would be a mother let alone a good one because, I never had one growing up. But I can proudly say that I did my best when it came to you 2. It’s nobody’s fault that you’re the way you are…” Mom stated upset,
I don’t blame her for the outburst and anger, there’s only so much she could tolerate.
“… but you can change how things unfold from here on. I really want to help you sweetie, but I can’t if you don’t let me.” Mom added calmly to my surprise.
Even she is trying to help. She also doesn’t want to give up on Sophia and think Sophia deserves a second chance. For a moment there I thought she had given up just like everyone else.
“I can’t…” Sophia cried out with tears in her eyes, “… I just want to be free, I can’t live like these anymore. These emotions I’m feeling hurts so much, and every second is torturous. You asked me what I want?… I want to leave, but only with Olivia.” She uttered, ulterly disappointing mom’s effort and hope of giving her a chance to start over.
“How can one person be so selfish and inconsiderate?” Mom asked with so much detest and disappointment in her voice.
“Mom!” I called out in an attempt to calm her down, but she ignored me.
“I’ll not let you hurt the one person who have sacrificed everything for you Sophia, you hear me?! You’ll have to go through me first!” Mom stated stetnly.
I’ve never seen my mother this angry before. She had the same look Sophia has now, and I knew things won’t end well.
Hysterically and full of rage, Sophia pointed the gun at me with a darkness in her eyes as she spoke.
“I wasn’t asking for you permission mother.”
Heat ran through my entire body as I sat there petrified and uncertain of what would happen next with a gun point to my face
“Sophia! Stop these madness and put down that gun!” Mom yelled at her.
But I could barely hear it in faint echo as everything began to drown in the loud drumming of my own heartbeat.
“Tell me how you really feel about me Livy. Fu’king yell at me, cuss at me, tell me you hate me for everything I’ve done to you.” Sophia requested of me, but I’m finding it hard to focus.
Markian, my babies- would I ever be able to see them again? I questioned in head.
“Sophia, stop!” Mom yelled again, but her voice seems muffled out in my head.
“Please! Please, tell me you regret being my sister. Tell me you wished I had died when we were being born! Please!” Sophia pressed on pleadingly.
“Girl, put down the damn gun this instant before you hurt someone!” Mom countered before the gun went off.
I heard the gunshot at the very same time I was overthrown to to the ground forcefully and my head met with the hard floor in a loud thud.
Sh’t. The pain was excruciating as it course through my entire body. The floor was chilly, but that wasn’t the cause of my body shivering.
“Mom? No. no. no! Mom!” I heard Sophia’s muffled voice cry out anguishly.
I tried to move my body but I couldn’t. My stomach was in worse pain than my head.
Oh God no, my babies.
I forced myself to blank out the pain and try to open my eyes slowly, but everything was hurting. The hurt wasn’t from the gunshot even I though Sophia had pointed the gun at me when she shot it, I just realized.
But if I wasn’t shot, then who was?
The first image I saw when I opened my eyes was Sophia kneeling on the floor beside me with our mother’s head on her laps.
No, no, no, it can’t be. Why?
“M… m… mom?” I tried to call out, but could only manage a mutter.
“W… w… was this… what you wanted?” Mom asked as she held Sophia’s face with on hand, before she slowly shut her eyes.
Blood dripped from her body to the floor and in less than 2seconds after she shut her eyes, her hand that held Sophia’s face fell to the floor.
“No, no! Mom! Mom! No!” Sophia screamed as she vigorously shook our mother’s lifeless body to try and wake her up.
“So… Sophia?…” I called out, “… Is… is mom dead?” I asked unknowingly.
My eyes wouldn’t stop watering no matter how hard I tried.
“Shut the fu’k up, ok? She’s fine. Nothing is wrong with her.” Sophia replied sternly.
“I don’t think so Soph… we need to get her…”
“I said she’s fine! This is all your fault! I was aiming at you, I wanted to shoot you in the shoulder to make you admit that you hate me, but she jumped in front of you! I didn’t want to kill anyone especially not her.” Sophia ranted on hysterically but also sadly.
“I know… but you need to get her to the hospital.” I told her as blood began to drip from my head to the floor.
I’m not fine either but my mother is lying on the floor, Sophia is currently disoriented with shock and regret and I can’t do anything, I can’t even move.
The pain course through me is excruciating, but I can’t seem to cry out even while looking at my mother’s immobile body.
“You’ve finally taken her away from me too. First, it was dad and now mom. I’ve been so worried that you’d forget me because you seemed happy without me 5months ago before I returned. Livy, I don’t think I can ever forgive myself if you still love me. I need to win against you for once.” She stated painfully.
“Stop ranting rubbish and get mother to the hospital immediately.” I blurted out weakly.
“Olivia, I’m scared…” she confessed to my surprise, “… I’m scared of being alone, that’s why I had intended to take you with me… Do you hate me now?” She asked with trembling lips.
“I can never… hate you Sophy, but mom would die if we don’t get her out of here and to a hospital fast.” I pressed on with the last bit of strength I had in me.
I know that in no time now I’ll pass out because, my entire body is throbbing in pain and some parts are already shutting down.
“Livy, I’m so sorry. I too tried the co-dependence thing but with a mind like mine, I knew I’ll only bring you more pain and that’s why I left with Carlos.” She stated as she sniffled and weeped her tears.
I heard a car drive in and I could also hear the sirens of police cars and maybe ambulance from the distant.